Forest officer caught taking ₹12,000 bribe in Nirmal

A Forest Section Officer in Nirmal district, Aindla Ravinder, was caught accepting a bribe of ₹12,000 on Thursday, according to the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). The officer was apprehended by ACB officials from the Adilabad Range after demanding and receiving the money from a complainant in exchange for facilitating the renewal of a timber depot licence.

The bribe was allegedly sought to visit the complainant's timber depot, conduct an inspection, and forward the report to higher authorities for licence renewal. ACB officials set up a trap and caught Ravinder while he was accepting the bribe, recovering the ₹12,000 from his possession. The accused is currently under arrest and will be produced before a Special Judge for SPE and ACB Cases in Karimnagar.

Ongoing investigations are being conducted, and the ACB has urged the public to report demands for bribes by government officials through its toll-free helpline, 1064, promising confidentiality for complainants.